Aim: Resveratrol has been shown to mimic the beneficial effects of dietary restriction (DR). We previously reported that DR delays stroke onset and extends the lifespan in Stroke-Prone Spontaneously Hypertensive rats (SHRSP). Therefore, we examined whether resveratrol mimics DR and delays stroke onset in SHRSP.
Methods: Cerebrovascular endothelial cells (CVECs) from SHRSP were treated with resveratrol, and the inflammatory gene expression levels and NFκB protein levels were measured. In order to address the effects of resveratrol in vivo, SHRSP (male, 10 weeks of age) were fed an experimental diet containing several doses of resveratrol (0 - 0.05% (w/w)), after which we measured the plasma cytokine levels and examined the stroke onset and lifespan.
Results: Treatment with resveratrol (100 μM, 24 hours) in CVECs from SHRSP significantly decreased the interleukin (IL)-1β-induced monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) mRNA expression levels and p50 and p65 protein levels in the nuclear fraction. When the SHRSP were fed a diet containing resveratrol for one week, the resveratrol treatment did not affect the plasma lipid and glucose levels, body weight or weight of each tissue. Resveratrol slightly, but not significantly, decreased the plasma levels of IL-1β and MCP-1 compared with that observed in the control group. In addition, resveratrol decreased the IL-1β and MCP-1 mRNA expression levels in the brain versus the control animals. However, no doses of resveratrol delayed stroke onset or extended the lifespan in SHRSP.
Conclusions: In this study, resveratrol did not delay stroke onset in SHRSP, although it partially suppressed systemic and cerebral inflammation. These results suggest that resveratrol does not mimic the beneficial effects of DR on stroke in vivo.